All Articles: Red Ash: The Indelible Legend

Although the Kickstarter campaign for Red Ash: The Indelible Legend failed, the Red Ash anime campaign (Red Ash: Magicicada) actually succeeded, reaching its goal with a day to spare, and ultimately pulling in $162,882.

Well, that just wasn’t good enough for Studio 4℃, who have now set up their own crowdfunding page to squeeze more money from fans secure more money to extend the run time of the anime film. The new campaign is asking for $127,118 and, unlike on Kickstarter, Studio 4℃ will be getting all the money donated whether or not they hit that goal.

This new campaign begins several weeks after the Red Ash video game had to be bailed out by Chinese publisher Fuze. Comcept’s first game, Mighty No. 9, has also suffered its own problems in recent days as it was quietly delayed.

People can spend their money on whatever they like, but I am not happy with the way Comcept and Studio 4℃ have handled Red Ash: The Indelible Legend and Red Ash: Magicicada. I’m sure many others agree with me.

As expected, Comcept’s Kickstarter campaign for Red Ash: The Indelible Legend has failed to reach its goal. The project’s $519,999 total fell quite short of the developer’s $800,000 target. The campaign was poorly run from the start, banking on nostalgia for Mega Man Legends, Kenji Inafune’s name recognition, and the success of Mighty No. 9‘s campaign. That’s game recent which was stealth delay probably didn’t help.

However, Comcept also had a second Kickstarter campaign related to Red Ash in the works at the same time. Red Ash: Magicicada is an anime short film produced by Studio 4°C, and unlike the game’s campaign, the anime has been fully funded, surpassing its $150,000 goal. The production company is proud of Magicicada and call it “a fast-paced, entertaining film in which unique characters explore various stages.” The anime won’t be released until 2017, to coincide with the release of the Red Ash video game.

Red Ash, the game, will continue development with Chinese publisher Fuze holding the purse strings. However, coupled with the announcement of the Might No. 9 delay days before the end of Red Ash’s Kickstarter deadline, and Comcept announcing they secured a publisher well into funding, they’re going to have to do a lot to win back consumer trust.

With just three days to go, Comcept’s Kickstarter campaign for Red Ash: The Indelible Legend is struggling. The developer has only reached 60% of their $800,000 goal and things look bleak. However, a new development deal with Fuze Entertainment, a publisher based out of China, will allow Comcept to complete the game. Not only that, but the deal allows the team to also bring the game to the PS4 and Xbox One, in addition to the PC.

According to an update posted to the Kickstarter campaign, all money pledged towards Red Ash will go towards the development of additional content. While reaching their Kickstarter goal is far from a certainty, Comcept also said they will retain all franchise rights to Red Ash.

Comcept has also decided to go on the offensive and give their fans a small taste of Red Ash with a short mock-up demo. Instructions on how to download (and play) the demo can be found in a recent Kickstarter update.

Red Ash was pitched as a spiritual successor to Mega Man Legends by Comcept’s Keiji Inafune, and I’m sure fans are excited that the game is now assured to be completed.

After teasing it a few days ago, Keiji Inafune and his team at Comcept officially announced a spiritual successor to Mega Man Legends at the Anime Expo today.

Unlike a traditional Mega Man game, Mega Man Legends melded third-person shooting with RPG conventions while still referencing Mega Man’s rich history. The third-person shooter/RPG hybrid Red Ash: The Indelible Legend will do something similar by serving as a spiritual cousin to Inafune’s upcoming Mighty No. 9. Like Mighty No. 9, Red Ash will also star two teenagers named Beck and Call with a penchant for robotics and adventure. But that’s where the similarities end…

Danger looms over hundreds of thousands who make the city of Great Slope their home. The Mobile Citadel “KalKanon” is currently on a crash course with this city. At this rate, a major disaster is all but unavoidable.

Gecko Company, one of the organizations central to Great Slope, has prepared a massive electromagnetic cannon christened “The Peacemaker” to combat this catastrophe. They announced their plan to destroy the massive Fortress-City before it reaches the settlement. Great Slope quickly switches from a city enveloped in panic, to one ready to sit back and enjoy the fireworks of the special, once-in-a-lifetime Burning Cannon Festival. However, not everyone welcomes this announcement; particularly the young owner of the Bones Company, Call C. Bones. All Delvers have heard the famous folktale… that inside the belly of KalKanon rests the Legendary Legacy…

Of course, she sends the request for this crazy job to her favorite stooges: partners Beck and Tyger.

Comcept also launched a Kickstarter campaign today to help fund the development of Red Ash. The developer is seeking $800,000 and hopes to have the completed game ready for release on the PC by July 2017. However, a series of stretch goals would expand the size and scope of the game considerably (the first, at $1.3 million, will nearly double it). There’s no gameplay footage yet, but a wide variety of great-looking concept art is available on the campaign page.

A separate Kickstarter campaign has also been launched for a companion anime film, Red Ash: Magicicada, to be produced by Studio 4°C. This campaign is seeking a more modest $150,000, of which $13,000 has already been pledged. The anime won’t be a direct adaptation of the game and will instead explore “unique worlds and stories” with the same characters.

A console release for Red Ash: The Indelible Legend is a possibility, but it may not happen for a while. Writing in the campaign’s FAQ, Inafune and Comcept wrote they “want to first focus on making as good of [a] game as we can.”

Comcept has released a new trailer to tease the company’s next project after the completion of Mighty No. 9. As you watch the video embedded above, pay special attention to the number of times the word “Legends” appears in the introductory text.

But in case you missed it, this is Keiji Inafune’s not-so-subtle way of confirming that he’s creating a spiritual successor to the Mega Man Legends series.

Comcept is working in conjunction with Studio 4°C to create Red Ash: The Indelible Legend, and more information about the game will be revealed at this weekend’s Anime Expo in Los Angeles. More specifically, on July 4 at 2:30 PM (Eastern Time) during the “Keiji Inafune and Eiko Tanaka Guest Panel.”